Ratchet-brace



(No Model.)

J. S. FRAY.

RATGHET BRAGB.

N. Pneus Pumuammpmf, wnmngm. n. c.

NTTE STATES FFICEQ ATENT RATC H ET- BRAC E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,889, dated January 8, 1889.

Application filed July 14, 1888. Serial No. 279,933. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN S. FRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements .in Ratchet-Braces; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention7 such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the construction of this class of braces, and has for its object to simplify the construction and to greatly improve the mode of operation in use.

lith these ends in view I have devised certain novel improvements in the construction and arrangement of the ratchet mechanism, which I will now describe.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is an elevation of a ratchet-brace, the sleeve and head being in section; Fig. 2, a plan view of the stock with the shifting-sleeve in position; Fig. 3, a plan view of the stock with the shifting-sleeve removed; Fig. Li, a horizontal section of the stock, showing the operation of the ratchet and dogs, the left dog being engaged and the right disengaged; Fig. 5, a similar section, .showingl the dogs shifted so that the operation is reversed; Fig. 6, a plan view of the shiftingsleeve detached; and Figs. 7 and S are sections of the shiftingsleeve on the line .r in Fig. 7, looking in opposite directions and showing the wide and narrow grooves on opposite sides.

Similar numbers denote the same parts in all the ligures.

l denotes the stock; 2, the shifting-sleeve; 3, the head; al., the shank, made integral with or rigidly secured to the head and extending up through the stock; 5, the locking-sleeve, and 6 the jaws. The ratchet 7 is rigidly secured to the shank and lies in. a recess, 8, in the stock.

9 denotes the dogs, which are pivoted in re` cess S, and are provided with lugs 10, adapted to engage grooves in the shifting-sleeve, as will be more fully explained. The edges of the ratchet-teeth are preferably inclined inward instead of outward, and the ends of the dogs L are beveled, so as to engage the edges of the teeth with a positive firm hold, as shown at the left in Fig. 4. and at the right in Fig. 5.

ll denotes springs lying in recesses l2 in the stock, the forward ends of which bear against the dogs and act to throw them to the engaged position. The shifting-sleeve is provided on its opposite inner sides with a wide groove, 1?, and a narrow groove, l-L, said grooves when the parts are assembled being engaged by lugs vl0 upon the dogs. The operative faces of lu l() are rounded, as shown in Fig. 3, so that they will pass readily into grooves 13 and le in use.

It will be noticed in Figs. 7 and 8 that the bottoms of grooves 13 and it are in line with each other, the difference in width being all at the outer edge. l5 denotes longitudinal grooves on the opposite inner sides of the shifting-sleeve, which receive lugs 10 in assembling the parts.

The operation of this portion of my invention is as follows: Groove 13 is sufficiently wide, so that when either of the lugs l0 is in engagement therewith. the position of that dog will not be shifted. As soon, however, as the shifting-sleeve is rotated sufficiently to cause either of the lugs to pass into groove 1J., the action of the outer wall of this groove is to swing that dog outward, as shown at the left in Fig. 5 and at the right in Fig. et. In practice I preferably cut out a portion of the rear edge of the sleeve, as at 16, and provide apin or stud, 17, iirmly driven into the stock and projecting into the entrent portion, as clearly shown in Fig. l. Vhen the shifting-sleeve is thrown to either extreme of its movement, the lug in engagement with the narrow groove is forced backward, which lifts that dog out of engagement with the ratchet, as at the right in Fig. 4 or the left in Fig. 5.

It will be seenv from Figs. 7 and S that the longitudinal grooves l5 extend to the bottom of grooves 13 and 1+i, so that the actual length of both the wide and narrow groovesv is considerably less than half the inner circumference of the shifting-sleeve. In Figs. l, 2, and 3 the parts are all shown at an intermediate position-that is, a position in which neither of the lugs upon the dogs vis in engagement with the narrow groove. This leaves both IOO dogs free to be moved forward by the springs and to engage the edges of ratchet-teeth, as clearly indicated in Figs. 2 and The brace now acts as an ordinary brace and the bit is carried ii'orward by rotation in one direction and turned backward by rotation in the opposite direction. Suppose now that it is desired to use the brace a right-hand ratchetbraee. The shifting-sleeve is given a halftnrn toward the right, as in Fig. l, or until its movement in that direction is stopped by pin 1T. rlhis movement causes the lug upon the right dog to be engaged by the narrow groove and thrown outward to the position shown in Fig. 4. This insures that when the stock is turned toward the right the ratchet, &e., will be turned toward the right also through the engagement of the leii't dog with the ratchet, and that when the stock is turned toward the left the left dog` will slip over the face of the ratchet-teeth, the right dog being retained out ol' operative position by the engagement ol' its lug with the narrow groove. Suppose now that the reverse oil this movement should be required, the sleeve is turned to the cxtreme ot lits movement in the opposite direction, which places the right dog in engagement with the ratchet and the left dog out of' engagement with it, as shown in Fig. 5, the operation being the same as before.

It will of course be understood that the details of construction may be varied within reasonable limits without departin from the spirit of my invention.

I claim i. In a brace, the combinatii'm, with the ratchet, of pivoted dogs adapted to engage opposite sides thereof and having lugs l0,

and a sleeve having grooves 123, 14, and .15, adapted to be engaged by said lugs, whereby either dog may be lifted out oif engagement with the ratchet, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The ratchet, and the dogs havinglugs l0, in combination with a sleeve having longitudinal grooves l5, and wide and narrow eircumferential grooves on opposite sides thereof, whereby when either lug is caused to engage the narrow groove that dog is lifted out ot' engagement with the ratchet, but when neither lug is in ei'igagement with the narrow groove both dogs are free to engage the ratchet.

The ctnnbination, with the ratchet, and dogs pivoted in the horizontal plane thereof, and having lugs l 0, of springs l l, whereby the dogs are thrown into engagement with the ratchet, and the sleeve having wide and narrow eireumfereiitial grooves adapted to be engaged by said lugs, whereby either dog may be lifted out otf engagement with the ratchet.

L The stoel; having a pin, 17, the ratchet, and the dogs having lugs 10, in comlfiination with the sleeve having cut-out portion itl, the ends of which are eng ged by said pin to limit the oscillatitm ot' the sleeve, and wide and narrow grooves which are engaged b v said lugs.

In testimony whereof I affix my signat ure in presence of two witnesses.

.l OIIN S. FRAY.

\\"itnesses:

A. M. 'Woos'rua A. B. FAIRCHILD. 

